Major Arcana · Mirror of the Arcana
XV · ArcanumThe Devil
The Devil in tarot is a card of attachment, dependency and shadow.
Key meanings
- attachment
- dependency
- shadow
- illusion of bondage
- temptation
The Devil upright
Attachment and the illusion of being trapped. A chain whose key has been in your hand all along.
The shadow side
Excusing a dependency and calling the cage cozy.
The Devil reversed
Freedom, breaking loose, reclaiming your own power.
The Devil as the card of the day
Take a closer look at what you call 'I have no choice,' and ask whether that chain is really so strong. Today is a good day to see your attachment honestly and remember that the key has been yours all along. Freedom is closer than fear would have you believe.
The question this card asks
What do you hold as 'I have no choice,' and what would happen if you found you could?
The Devil: yes or no?
no
The Devil shows a chain you mistook for fate. Step out of it first.
On the deck's five-step scale arcanum XV sits at no, and a lean is something to weigh rather than something to obey.
One card only leans on a closed question, and here it leans through its theme of attachment. Pull your own card →
Every card is a mirror, not a verdict. Walk the other arcana and listen to what they say together.
✦ See all 22 Major ArcanaFAQ
Does The Devil (XV) count as a good card or a bad one?
Tarot has no plainly bad cards. Its themes are attachment and dependency, and the tone comes from your question together with the upright or reversed position. I am not here to frighten you.
Where in the deck does The Devil sit, among the majors or the minors?
Major, arcanum XV of twenty-two. Major arcana speak of thresholds and minor arcana of routine, and XV is a threshold.
What are the cards either side of The Devil?
Temperance stays behind it and The Tower waits further on. Seen that way, arcanum XV reads as a move rather than a fixed state.
What changes between The Devil (XV) upright and reversed?
Upright the card leans on attachment and dependency and lets them work in the open. Upside down, arcanum XV describes the shadow of the same movement: too much of it, too little, or too late.